Blwyddyn Newydd DDa! (Happy New Year)

We hope you all have a happy and safe 2013, let's hope that there will be a lot less flooding and harrowing stories of sunken boats.
Safe boating everyone.
Chop & Glenda x

I tried to get a photo from the other side of the lake but, as the lake was about 5 foot above normal, this was the best that I could get. Ours are the boats with the nice new shiny tarpaulins!

A sad start to 2013, waiting for the go ahead for Joe's funeral, Hoping his family have a much better 2013.                           Here is a lovely pic of Joe silhouetted on a lock at sunset.      R.I.P. mate

 

 

Nadolig LLawen! (Merry Xmas!)

Glenda and I had Xmas day on the boats and cooked our Xmas nosebag on Freyja, they are still floating very high, over 4 foot above normal.
Hope 2013 sees water levels getting back to normal.

We just lost a member of our crew ;o(

While in Berlin I received a text with the terrible news that Joe, our human horse, had been found dead under the ice near his boat, on the Grand Union Canal near Crick.
To say I'm gutted is an understatement, I just can't believe that we've lost such a lovely bloke, the only crumb of comfort is that he died doing what he loved most, it involved a pub, beer, a bicycle, his boat and a canal.

Here's a selection of (copyright) photos from the journey down from Church Minshull near Crewe to the river Nene near Wellingborough, courtesy of Dave at http://www.bayphotos.co.uk

Our Butty man, Joe

A lovely bloke that kindly helped us move the pair south

Joe enjoyed the quietness on the butty and spent his time doing word puzzles

It took some clever gymnastics to pass Joe his breakfast and coffee on the fly

A great moody shot of Joe

Who are you looking at?

After too many locks time for a lunchtime pint

For some reason, Joe had it in his head that I was deliberately dragging him through bushes and trees!

Had to spray him for greenfly

A great sense of humour

Joe was never happier than when he was sat behind a nice pint of real ale

He empty again, I suppose I'd better get to the bar!

He tirelessly hauled the Christina the butty through 100 locks

Add caption

He used a boat hook to snag the rope from under the bridge

Rare to see him not helping, at his own speed with the least effort, he just leaned on the rope and waited until the butty realised it was time to move!

No headband? No problem! Just use 2 zip ties, then spend all evening explaining why you've got a bright red line across your forehead!

He's flown away from us like the winter geese

He was a lovely guy who will be sorely missed 

The tide is high but I'm holding on....

I went to work on our pair on Tuesday and Wednesday, I was, sort of, expecting a lot of water, I was amazed at how much of the stuff there was! I had to walk the plank to get to the pontoons.

Had to 'walk the plank' to get to the pontoon, not a good idea to drink too much before returning in the dark!

Note how high the post is at the end of the pontoon (taken before the flood)

On Tuesday the pontoons almost floated off the posts!

A panoramic photo of the flooded Blackthorn marina on the river Nene

This lot should keep us busy!

I managed to catch a train from Birmingham (where I was parked with crew from the Radio 1Xtra Live show) to Wellingborough, then cycled to Ringstead.
When I got there I found that Freyja was not landlined and the bilge pump was switched off, luckily the stern gland had been behaving itself for a change.
I measured up all of the canvas covers so that we could replace them, 12 sheets in all, we need to make them as weatherproof as possible before winter.
I didn't have time to fit the galvanic isolator or the bilge pump illuminated rocker switches (that won't get accidentally knocked off every time someone moves in cockpit)
We have a mountain of work to do. It would be quicker and easier to tell you what doesn't need fixing or replacing!
We need to :-

Fit new tarpaulins to try to make them a little more water tight
Overhaul or replace the engine
Check and repair or replace the engine header
De-grease and paint the engine bay (unless we find a cheap replacement engine, in which case we'll try to move it to it's own engine room)
If we keep the AMC 1800 engine I'll cut a sealable inspection panel, so we can get to the front and lower bits of the engine
Replace the cutlass bearing
Renew the stern gland packing
Re-fit the engine stop button
Fit the galvanic isolator
Replace the bilge switches with 3-way LED lit rockers
Fit another bilge pump under the floor in Christina
Fit rubber seals around the pidgeon box
Make a new control panel and replace any gauges, switches and lights that aren't working
A lot of the plywood and wood is rotten and needs replacing, I've already made new stern boards
Make a new Elum (butty rudder) to replace the rotten one
Make a new Tiller
Straighten the rudder on Freyja (got badly bent in a lock when a 'helpful' holiday boater opened the paddles fully with no warning!)
Fit PTFE bushes to rudder 
Find fresh water leak in Freyja that keeps flooding the cabin
Fix blocked bath pump
Lift the floors, remove the pea shale ballast, de-rust and paint then replace with engineering bricks
Remove some of the rails and then replace the floor in Christina's store room
Take the interior doors off and make them fit properly
Re-fit the tunnel light and hand rails that parted company with the rotten plywood panels (and replace the panels)
Clean the diesel tank, lift pump and change the filter (again!!!!!), as we still seem to have problems even after polishing the diesel.
Sort out the electrics on Freyja and improve the wiring (get rid of choccie blocks etc.)
Free off the cratch hinges on Freyja and alter the steel cratch frame so that the cratch can be lowered for tunnels, and so Glenda can sit on the tug-deck
Renew the rotten greenhouse
Fix the leaky cabin doors
Fix the side hatch
Remove the sink from below the side hatch
Renew the leaky tug deck
Fix the heat exchanger on the range
Re-design the rear cabin in Freyja, fit a table and seating that will convert to another bed ( it is a bit of a mish mash, boatman's cabin that isn't a boatman's cabin.)
Fit a mains trickle charger and a new solar panel to Christina
Fit a new horn
Peg the top-boards to stop them moving
Properly attach centre ropes to Christina (not to the movable top planks or the rotten wood panels)
Make new centre rope cradles for Christina's top plank, incorporating rope 'handrails' (might stop me falling into another lock!)
Find a river anchor
Find another porta potti for Christina
Clean out the flues on the ranges and wood burner
Replace the rusty chimneys
Make and paint 2 boat hooks
Make and paint 2 poles
Make some new cross-straps

That's some of it, I can't remember everything we've found! HoHum!

As I said to some boaters on the way down
"Excuse me mate, is there a scrappy around here?"
"Why? What do you need?"
"Somewhere to put these! LOL!"

Seriously, we bought this pair knowing that we'd have our work cut out, it'll be worth it once they are sorted

WooHoo!

Well, finally, Freyja & Christina are safely moored in Blackthorne Marina ;0)

 

Christina and Freyja safely moored and awaiting TLC

 

Glenda looking happy that we made it ;o)

A huge thank you to all that helped us through all the problems

Joe from Sudbury (R.I.P.)

Dave from Bay Photos

Gary

Clive at Willy Watts Marina

Tol at Willy Watts marina

RiverCanalRescue

Heritage spares

Cogenhoe Mill Marina

Red Bull Boatyard

Dave at Bay Photos took some great photos, click link below :-

Three men, a narrowboat and a butty.

So, so near, yet so, so far ;0(

I went to rejoin the boats at Billing lock near Northampton, Glenda brought her Dad, George, to see them. Dave and I replaced two rotten water pipes that were causing the header to lose coolant.
Someone had passed through the lock earlier and told Dave and Gary that the river was now open, it was late afternoon and I decided to try to get to Wellingborough.
We set off breasted up but quickly found it too difficult to negotiate the tight bends, so after ending up in the bank, we put Christina on a long line and made good progress until we approached Cogenhoe Mill lock, Glenda had told me to check the book before setting off, but not why, if I had read the warning to keep left then we wouldn't have been dragged into the marina by the current caused by an open flood gate. It was all we could do to avoid bashing anyone's boats.
They told us there was still a red flag up and we shouldn't be moving. But Dave the site man said we could moor there until the flood subsided.
A huge thank you to all at the Cogenhoe Mill Marina & leisure complex and for the great welcome we received at the site's Crow's Nest Bar. ;0) This turned out to be fortuitous, the boats were now safely moored on a site with very friendly people, so Dave and Gary could finally return to Wales.
A big thank you to both of them for looking after our boats ;0)

Dinky Dave and Gary on our pontoon, spot the missing narrowboats!

Freyja and Christina moored in EA's Becketts Park Marina in Northampton.